


These Sketchbook Pages

by demfeeeels



Category: Free!
Genre: ...Tokyo time? Tokyo time!, Established Relationship, Haru's STRESSED over his future and doesn't wanna talk about it, M/M, and Haru's too poetic, artist!haru, businessman!Sousuke (???), continuation of The Perks, model!Gou, model!rin, pretty much everyone eventually shows up, these two are WAY too fluffy, this thing is so self-indulgent gdi, with an actual PLOT i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-17 09:38:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3524414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demfeeeels/pseuds/demfeeeels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>After he’d met Rin, his days were mostly spent like this. Daydreaming about him, comparing him to all sorts of things, drawing him, painting him…</em>
</p><p>Sometimes they'd call him "lovesick", and even though Haru would never say it out loud, that was <em>exactly</em> how he felt.</p><p>~~~</p><p>(Or simply, the continuation to The Perks of Being an Art Student ;D)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ...And HELLO there, you lovely peeps! ;D So I wrote this one-shot thingy a while ago for this AU, and idk WHY you guys liked it so much, but...I WROTE YOU A SEQUEL! This is actually going to be kinda long, and updates will probably depend on how life's going and stuff. So...enjoy! ;D

((Oh, and if you haven't read [The Perks](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2394752/chapters/5292716), then it'd be a good idea to read it before reading this! ^^ Like, it's not COMPLETELY necessary, but if you're up for it... Also, that one time I attempted to write smut, same AU :'D ([this thingy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3271253)) ))

 

~~~~~~~~

 

“…And that’s all for today. Good work, everyone!”

Haru gave a small sigh of relief, putting his paintbrush down and momentarily stretching his sore arms. Today was the last art class he’d have for four months, until he registered for the third course in August, so the whole class had been spending the day painting. Anything, really, since the art final had finished last week.

Before unhooking his sketchbook from the easel in front of him, he gave his painting a good once-over. It was considerably simple, with no real consideration for proportions or backgrounds or… _anything,_ really. While Haru would’ve _usually_ painted water at any chance he got, this time he’s gone for a cherry blossom tree, with soft, pastel shades of brown, pink, and the occasional trace of green.

And for some reason, he’d been reminded of Rin.

Well, it wasn’t like it was _unnatural_ or anything for Haru to think of Rin. They’d been dating for almost five months now (and even though he’d never admit it, Haru couldn’t stop himself from feeling like a giddy high-school girl every time he was reminded the Rin was his _boyfriend_ ) _._ It was just strange that, whenever he walked into the college campus, and he saw the cherry blossom tree that had just started blooming its delicate pink blossoms, he thought of Rin.

 _But then again,_ Haru thought, swinging on his shoulder-bag and making his way towards the door, _Rin isn’t_ exactly _like a cherry blossom tree._

And it was true. Rin had some qualities that you could absolutely compare with a cherry blossom tree, like the soft pink undertones of Rin’s skin, the slight of “femininity” in the look of it, or just the “prettiness” in general. But then there were qualities that Haru would definitely _never_ associate with cherry blossoms, like the way cherry blossom trees make pretty backgrounds, but Rin was always the center of attention anywhere he went. Maybe it was the vibrant red hair and the stunning body, or maybe it was the way he could be so _loud_ and persistent. He just had this kind of _aura_ that had Haru mesmerized the first time he saw Rin, and he never got bored of it. Until now, he’d just have to think about Rin, with that dorky, yet gorgeous shark-toothed grin, and he’d feel that same buzz of energy coursing through him, that same need to grab a pencil or a paintbrush or _anything_ and just… _draw_ him. Though it was pretty much impossible to capture all of Rin, all his different sides and emotions, on paper, Haru loved to try anyway.

Realizing that he’d already walked down two flights of stairs, Haru gave a snort. After he’d met Rin, his days were mostly spent like this. Daydreaming about him, comparing him to all sorts of things, drawing him, painting him…

He remembered this one time, a few months ago when Rin was spending the night at Haru’s place, and Haru had been _so_ tired after finally finishing an art project that he’d just started _blabbing_ about how Rin had some traits like water (the ocean, more specifically), but he _also_ had traits like fire, all bright and passionate. At first, Rin had just blinked confusedly ( _“…Huh? Haru, you alright?”_ ), but then he’d given a laugh ( _same cute laugh,_ Haru had thought) and pulled Haru closer to him, so Haru’s head had been comfortably snuggled against Rin’s chest. Then he’d muttered something about “damn artists” and affectionately kissed Haru’s forehead, telling him to go to sleep.

Haru smiled at the memory, exiting the campus and making his way down the street. He knew that Rin had a photo shoot today, but all this reminiscing was making him… _want_ Rin. He wanted Rin to talk about his day - about everything - while Haru listened, to model while Haru drew, to touch him, to kiss him. It was kind of ridiculous, really, for Haru to miss Rin like this when the last time they’d seen each other was only three days ago.

But that didn’t stop Haru from pulling out his (now more frequently used) cellphone and leaving a quick text.

 _“ **my place when the shoot’s over**_ ”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Haru had been frying mackerel when he heard the doorbell ring.

 _Rin_ , he thought giddily, tossing his metal spatula onto the counter and jogging to the door. It was about _time_. He’d been waiting for three hours, trying in vain to distract himself.

The doorbell rang yet again, and Haru turned the knob and opened it, finally, _finally_ drinking in the sight of Rin he’d been craving all day.  He was standing there, hands in the pockets of those (sexy) skinny jeans, and _grinning_ that grin that Haru loved so much.

And Haru just… _lost_ control for a few seconds, almost _throwing_ himself onto Rin and pressing their mouths together, running his tongue over those soft pink lips. Rin seemed too surprised to react at first, but then Haru felt him kissing him back, running his fingers through Haru’s hair.

“Couldn’t even bother to bring me inside first, huh?” Rin snorted when they finally pulled away. And _that’s_ when Haru realized that they were still standing on his porch, wrapped in each other’s arms. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he grabbed Rin’s arm and pulled him inside, closing the front door behind them.

“Man, I can’t believe you actually texted me during a shoot, Haru!” Rin said, an arm still around Haru’s shoulder. Then his grin turned into a playful smirk. “Missed me that much?”

“No,” Haru muttered, turning away his slightly flushed face. _Yes._

Rin gave another snort. “If you say so,” he said, giving Haru a quick peck on the cheek before bending down to untie his shoe laces. “And what’s that smell? It smells like…burning fish or something.”

And _that’s_ when Haru ran to the kitchen, remembering his half-cooked (now charred-black) mackerel. With a sigh, he tossed it into the trash can.

 _Well, it doesn’t matter,_ Haru thought with a small smile. _I got to kiss Rin for it._

He walked back into the living room, taking a seat beside Rin on the couch. Rin’s arm immediately went around him, and Haru leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder.

“How was the shoot?” Haru asked, turning his face into the fabric of Rin’s shirt and breathing in his scent. It wasn’t really a scent he could name. Just a lot of scents together that smelled like _Rin._

“It was okay,” Rin sighed, his fingers playing at the nape of Haru’s neck. “Pretty  small company, but their clothes were nice. They’re releasing a spring collection, and…”

The next half-an-hour was spent by Rin talking about the shoot, about how the entire female staff had been gathered around, staring and giggling (Haru couldn’t stop himself from snorting at that), about how the flash had been _far_ too bright, and he’d been struggling to keep his eyes open, about how he was only getting invites from smaller, newer companies, and how he hoped a bigger company would call him for a shoot.

By this time, Haru had completely lain down on the sofa, head resting on Rin’s lap. Rin’s hand was involuntarily stroking Haru’s hair and side as he spoke, with Haru giving an occasional “hmm” or a nod. It was getting late, and Haru was getting sleepy, but he didn’t want Rin to leave. He liked listening to him talk.

“And what about you, Haru?” Rin asked, fingers still running through Haru’s hair.

“Me?” Haru mumbled sleepily.

“How was your day?”

“It was good,” Haru continued muttering. “It was our last art class, so we were painting.”

“It was your last art class?” Rin interrupted, sounding confused.

“Yeah,” Haru sighed, stretching. “The next course is in August.”

“So…” Rin said, and Haru heard him counting under his breath, “what are you gonna do for the next three months?”

“Don’t know.”

“What did you do last year?”

Haru sighed. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk. “I got some part-time jobs,” he replied, voice as monotone as ever.

“…Oh,” Rin said, not really sounding satisfied with the answer. “How many art courses do you have left?”

“One more year.”

“Do you have any plans for after university?”

Haru let out another sigh. He’d been asked that question before; by _many_ people, actually, and he was getting tired of it. He remembered his art instructor’s words:

“ _With your talent, you could really do anything you wanted, Haruka. Companies from all fields that have anything to do with art would be seeing to hire you, you know.”_

And then there’d been Haru’s reply:

“ _I draw because I want to.”_

“Well?” Rin asked, snapping Haru out of his thoughts.

“No,” Haru replied, exasperatedly turning to his side.

“Huh?” Rin was looking down at Haru with an expression that was something between perplexed and shocked. “Seriously…nothing?! But with your talent, Haru-“

 “I said _no_ ,” Haru unintentionally let out a growl, irritated and _sick_ of people saying that. It was the same thing over and over again.  

_You have so much talent, so use it!_

Rin’s hand froze for a moment, fingers still curled into Haru’s hair. Haru looked up to see that Rin’s expression had morphed into something more like… _concern_. Concern and shock.

He felt a twinge of guilt twist in his stomach.

“Sorry…” he mumbled, sitting up and putting an arm around Rin’s waist.

“Nah, it’s okay,” Rin smiled weakly, pressing a kiss onto Haru’s forehead. “But…I should really be leaving now. It’s getting kinda late…”

“No,” Haru muttered, sleepily wrapping his arms around Rin. He still felt bad for snapping like that. “Stay.”

“But-“

“Please?” Haru persisted, almost _whining_.

“Okay, okay,” Rin giggled, amused by Haru’s sleepy, desperate cuddling. “Fine.”

“Hmm…” Haru mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open. Rin was so warm, and so… _solid_ …

“But you have to get up, you know.”

“Don’t want to,” Haru continued his sleepy mumbling, burying his face into Rin’s shoulder.

“Oh, _c’mon,_ Haru…” Rin snorted, pulling himself off the couch and helping Haru to his feet, an arm around Haru’s shoulders to steady him.

They got to Haru’s bedroom, and Haru simply stripped to his boxers, not bothering to put anything on. With sleepy eyes, he saw Rin chuckle and do the same. Usually, Haru would be aroused by the sight of Rin in such minimal clothing, but all he wanted was for Rin to come to bed and maybe cuddle with him and _sleep._

But much to Haru’s dismay, Rin started walking to the bathroom. “Gotta brush my teeth,” he said, shutting the door behind him.

Haru sighed. Well, at least Rin was staying with him…

 

* * *

 

 

Rin tiptoed out of the bathroom, seeing that the bedroom light had already been closed. He could make out the human-sized lump resting under the sheets, chest moving up and down in a calming, rhythmic pattern. A small smile crept on Rin’s lips.

_So he’s already asleep._

Rin climbed in beside Haru, wrapping his arms around him. Haru must’ve had a long day, it was only ten-thirty and he was completely passed out.

 _Yeah,_ Rin thought, _that must explain why he got so…_ pissed off _…_

As much as Rin tried to push it away, to brush it off, he felt… _restless_ when he thought of the way Haru just pushed off the question. How could he not have any plans for after college? And with his talent, too…

Rin sighed. _Well, right now’s not the time to think about it._ He looked down at Haru’s delicate, serene-looking sleeping face and felt his heart give a small flutter. Haru really _did_ look peaceful when he was asleep. Peaceful and incredibly _cute_ …

“Goodnight, Haru,” he muttered, giving him a quick kiss on the forehead before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep, Haru’s scent wafting into his dreams. 


	2. Chapter 2

Rin was awoken by two things.

The first was that the bed was still warm, but when he reached out for Haru, his arm flopped onto the empty mattress instead. And _two_ was the strong smell of mackerel wafting in through the open bedroom door.

“ _Seriously_?” Rin grumbled, pulling himself up off Haru’s warm bed. From the faint sunlight creeping through the blinds, he could tell that it wasn’t much past sunrise. But his idiot (yet endearingly _cute_ ) boyfriend had left him to make mackerel.

_Boyfriend…_

Rin smiled. It had been nearly five months now, but he still felt the same fluttery, butterflies-in-your-chest kind of feeling he’d felt when he’d first met Haru. _And_ when they’d first gone to that coffee shop together. And _especially_ when they’d gone out for their first proper date.

Pulling on the nearest t-shirt he could get his hands on, Rin snorted at the memory. It had been a few days before Christmas, and Rin had been planning to take Haru to this restaurant for Christmas Eve. Like, one of those _fancy_ , five-star restaurants that everyone recommended, with the romantic, candle-lit tables and the waiters in suits.  And he’d been so nervous to ask Haru, anyone would’ve thought that he’d been _proposing_ or something huge like that.

 

_“So, uh…” Rin stammered, fiddling with the hem of his sweater sleeve. “Haru.”_

_“Rin, you’re moving too much,” Haru said, sounding slightly annoyed._

Oh, right _, Rin thought, getting back into position. He was supposed to be modeling. But he was getting desperate._

It’s now or never, Rin.

_Taking a deep breath, Rin started talking._

_“Uh, can I ask you something, Haru?”_

_Haru looked up from his sketchbook, expression showing a hint of surprise. Well, he_ would _be. Rin sounded like he was going to choke, and he could_ feel _the heat rushing to his face._

_“Yes?” Haru asked, putting his sketchbook and pencil on his lap and looking right at Rin, head tilted a few angles to the side._

God, he’s _cute._

_“I… I wanted to ask if, um… If you would want to…” Rin trailed off, his face becoming redder and redder by the moment._

Why is this so hard?!

_Haru looked even more confused now. “If I would want to…?”_

_“If you… If you’d be interested in going out for dinner on Christmas Eve with me!” Rin blurted out, ears red and eyes fixed to the floor, trying desperately to avoid Haru’s gaze._

_“For dinner? But we could just…” Rin heard Haru’s voice trail off, and then heard a sharp intake of breath._

So he _finally_ realizes…

_Rin poked his head up for a second, only to meet Haru’s wide-eyed gaze and slightly-tinted cheeks._

_“Oh. You mean…like a date?” Haru asked, now fiddling with the pencil in his hand, face a little more red._

_“Uh, yeah…” Rin muttered, running a hand through his hair._ What if he already has plans? What if he refuses?!

_“Sure.”_

_“Wait, what?!” Rin jolted upright, his heart hammering in his chest. “You mean it?”_

_“Why not?” Haru mumbled, turning his face away and sounding embarrassed. Rin could just about catch a glimpse of the red-tinted ears._

Fucking _cute._

 _And in that second, Rin totally lost control and practically_ threw _himself to him, wrapping his arms around the slender figure and pressing their mouths together. He knew that his knee was on Haru’s sketchbook, and he’d probably smudged the drawing, but he was too happy to care._

Making his way down the stairs, Rin let out a soft chuckle. _Man_ , he really was ridiculous. But Haru just…had that kind of effect on him, and always had. He didn’t really know how to put it.

And _speaking_ of Haru, there he was, standing over the stove in the mackerel-scented kitchen, clad in nothing but those skimpy blue boxers and Rin’s grey hoodie.

“Good morning, Rin,” he said, giving Rin a quick glance before returning to flipping his mackerel.

“Ha _ru_ ,” Rin whined, wrapping his arms around Haru and absolutely _leaning_ on him. “It’s too early. Come back to bed.”

“I’m hungry,” Haru simply replied, giving the mackerel yet another flip.

“Aw, _c’mon_ , Haru,” Rin continued whining, nuzzling his face into Haru’s neck. “Please?”

“I’m not tired.”

“We don’t have to _sleep.”_

He heard Haru give a small snort. “It’s too early to have sex, Rin.”

“Well, that wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but now that you mention it…” Rin smirked, pressing his lips against Haru’s neck. “Why not?”

He peppered a few more kisses onto Haru’s nape, and he could tell Haru was trying his best to _ignore_ them. Wanting to get Haru’s attention, he moved his lips to Haru’s collarbone, and the flicked his tongue at the sensitive spot beneath Haru’s chin.

Oh, and _now_ he could feel Haru’s body give a shudder, but only for Haru to immediately pull away a second later.

“I’m _hungry_ , Rin,” he complained, nearly whining. “I didn’t have dinner last night. And I’m not kissing you until you brush your teeth.”

Rin snorted, pulling himself off Haru. “Fine, fine. I’ll go brush my teeth.”

“Good,” Haru hummed in approval, pressing a quick kiss to Rin’s cheek before going back to his mackerel.

Feeling that familiar _warmth_ buzz through him, Rin grinned like an idiot the whole time he brushed his teeth. Sousuke had once described him as _love-sick_ when he’d been talking about Haru, and to be completely honest, that’s exactly how Rin felt right now. Though of course, he’d never say that _out loud_ or anything…

Drying his face off with a towel, Rin started making his way to the living room, where Haru was sitting cross-legged on the floor and eating mackerel, flipping through one of the many art books scattered across the floor. Still grinning, Rin took a seat beside him, then reached out to cup Haru’s chin and gently stroke it with his thumb, pulling their faces closer together.

“So, about that kiss…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“-and then you should have seen Rei-chan’s face!”

Nagisa burst into laughter, while Rei’s face was aflame from embarrassment. Haru simply gave a snort, not bothering to look up from his sketchbook. Ever since Rei and Nagisa had started college, Nagisa had _masses_ of wild stories for them on a daily basis. It was expected, of course. This was _Nagisa Hazuki._  

He heard Makoto give a small chuckle. “It seems like you two are having quite the time at college.”

“It was _not_ ‘quite the time’, Makoto-senpai!” Rei protested, then covered his still-red face with his hands. “I can’t believe I did something so _humiliating_ …”

“Aw, Rei-chan, come on! It wasn’t _that_ humiliating!” Nagisa exclaimed, patting Rei’s back. “But…but…your _face!_ ” Nagisa burst into giggles again, earning an embarrassed groan from Rei and a fond sigh from Makoto. Haru glanced up at his friends and gave a faint smile. They could be a handful, sure (ESPECIALLY Nagisa), but Haru was grateful for their presence. It was nice, being around them.

“Haru- _chan,_ ” Nagisa whined, momentarily seeming to forget about Rei and his story. He moved into the spot next to Haru, craning his neck to see the open sketchbook page on his lap. Haru immediately edged away, not really wanting Nagisa to see what he was drawing.

Which was, obviously and as usual, Rin. He had two whole _sketchbooks_ of Rin drawings, and a semi-filled watercolor notebook of Rin paintings. Heck, he’d even done a few oil paintings. He just couldn’t _help_ it. He loved drawing Rin. Not only was it _fun_ , with Rin’s silky strands of vivid, wine-red hair and his vibrant red eyes, but it was also challenging, trying to fit those many, _many_ expressions on paper, trying to give him the same _dynamism._ He never got tired of it.

And sadly, Nagisanever got tired of prying either.

“C’mon, Haru-chan! Show us what you’re drawing!” he pleaded, clutching onto Haru’s arm.

“No,” Haru muttered, looking away and feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.

Which, obviously, didn’t go unnoticed by Nagisa.

He let go of Haru’s arm and studied his face for a few seconds, this _enormous_ grin spreading over his face. “You’re _blushing_ , Haru-chan! Are you drawing Rin-chan??”

Haru kept his eyes glued to the floor, trying his _best_ to ignore the three pairs of eyes on him, but the color was steadily rising to his face, more and more each second.

Nagisa let out a victory laugh. “So it _is_ Rin-chan! Can we see it?? _Please,_ Haru-chan??”

Feeling defeated, Haru let out a sigh and thrust the open sketchbook at Nagisa. “Fine.”

“Yay!” Nagisa exclaimed, flinging his arms around Haru. “Thank you, Haru-chan!”

The next few minutes were spent considerably more silently (except for the occasional “OH!” from Nagisa or gasp from Rei), the three of them pouring over his sketchbook and Haru awkwardly shifting in his place beside them, waiting for them to finish. He didn’t usually _mind_ showing his art to people, but his drawings of Rin felt more… _personal_.

“You’ve gotten even better, Haru!” Makoto exclaimed, handing the sketchbook back to him with wide eyes and an impressed expression.

“It’s true, Haruka-senpai, your art is truly beautiful! The color pallet, the intricate eye for detail, the emotion...” Rei rambled on, face flushed with excitement.

“Thanks,” Haru said, his face still warm and eyes still glued to the floor.

“You must _really_ be in love with Rin-chan to draw him so much, Haru-chan!” Nagisa clambered on excitedly, grabbing onto Haru’s arm. “Before that, all you used to like drawing was water, right?”

“…Whatever,” Haru muttered, feeling his face growing even hottter. Nagisa wasn’t _wrong_ , though. Trying to distract himself from everybody’s eyes on him, Haru flipped open his sketchbook to his latest Rin drawing, continuing to add tiny details even though it was mostly done.

Sensing Haru’s discomfort, Makoto did his “Makoto-thing” of starting a new conversation, much to Haru’s relief. “Oh, didn’t your art classes finish yesterday, Haru?”

“Hmm,” Haru nodded, continuing to sketch. “They start again in August.”

“It’s going to be your last year, right?”

“Yeah,” Haru replied, clutching the pencil a little tighter in his hand. He knew where this conversation was going.

“Have you-“

Makoto was interrupted by the shrill ringing of Haru’s cellphone, coming from the kitchen. Feeling slightly grateful to whomever was calling, Haru excused himself and got up, walking to the kitchen. Picking his phone off the counter, Haru saw the caller’s name.

**_Rin_ **

Haru raised an eyebrow, surprised. It wasn’t really usual for Rin to _call_. He was more of a texting kind of person, if Haru thought about it…

Pressing “answer”, Haru put the phone to his ear, only to be greeted by Rin’s excited voice.

“Haru, are you busy?”

“No,” Haru replied, confused at how _energetic_ Rin sounded. “Rin, are you alright…?”

“Yeah, I’m great!” Rin continued, sounding slightly out-of-breath, but extremely _happy,_ like he’d just won gold in some Olympic race. “Listen, I’m coming over, okay?”

“O-Okay,” Haru said, confused. Obviously, Rin was completely welcome to come over whenever he wanted. “But…why?”

Oh, and now he could _feel_ Rin grinning through the phone. That dorky, excited shark-toothed grin that he loved so much.

“I’ve got news.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOW we're getting somewhere... ;D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out WAY longer than expected, ahahaha....

“Who was it?”

Makoto dropped the question as soon as Haru walked back into the living room, still clutching his cellphone in his hand. He still felt confused and… _dazed_.

_News? What news?_

“Haru-chan…?” Nagisa asked, concern lacing his tone. Haru snapped out of his thoughts, giving his head a quick shake.

“It was Rin.”

“What did he say?” Nagisa continued. That concerned look was reaching his eyes now, and Makoto’s and Rei’s too.

Haru tried to shake the daze off. _It couldn’t be bad news… No, he sounded too excited. And happy._

“He said he’s coming over,” Haru said, taking a seat next to Makoto.

“Right now?” Makoto asked, glancing at his watch and raising an eyebrow. And suddenly, much to Haru’s confusion, his face turned a deep shade of red.

“Should we, uh…leave?” Makoto asked sheepishly, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck.

 _...Oh._ NOW Haru knew what he was talking about. That one time he and Rin had decided (or _attempted_ ) to have sex on his living room couch, and then Makoto, Nagisa, and Rei had walked in on them (and JUST when it’d been getting good, too…).

Haru felt his face flush at the memory, and he embarrassedly looked away. “No…” he muttered, rubbing his own neck. “No, it’s okay.”

“So if this ISN’T a booty call,” Nagisa said, grinning that typical “Nagisa” mischievous grin that appeared on his face whenever anything perverted came up, “what does Rin-chan want?”

“Don’t know,” Haru responded, trying to keep his voice monotone, even though his face had heated up a little more after Nagisa’s mention of “booty call”. He picked up his sketchbook and went back to his Rin drawing, mostly to distract himself.

He heard Makoto sigh. “Didn’t he say _anything_ else, Haru?”

“He said he had news,” Haru replied without looking up from his sketchbook, switching his graphite pencil for a charcoal one and starting to shade Rin’s hair a light gray.

“News?” The three of them all said it at the same time, turning to Haru with big, perplexed-looking eyes. “What news?”

Haru looked up from his shading for moment, sighing at the way they were looking at him like _he_ would have any idea. He knew that he hadn’t known Rin for that long, not even a year, but this was _just_ like him. Crazy new ideas and plans and news, all that energy and passion, leaving everyone in suspense…

But despite all that, Rin always knew exactly what he wanted. He had this firm… _steadfastness_ for everything he did, and honestly, there were times when Haru wished he could be like that.

“Well, Haru-chan??” Nagisa persisted, rubbing the top of his blond head against Haru’s arm.

“I don’t _know_ ,” Haru grumbled, going back to his shading. And he really had _no_ idea.

He heard Makoto give another sigh. “Well, I guess the only thing we can do is wait.”

They spent the next fifteen minutes discussing what Rin’s “news” might be, with Haru listening in the background. As much as he was trying to concentrate on his sketch, he felt too restless to draw right now, holding the pencil too tightly and shading too darkly when he tried. Eventually, he tossed his sketchbook and pencils back onto the table, deciding to finish it later.

Everyone had their own suggestions, with Nagisa’s being absolutely ridiculous ( _“Maybe he’s coming to propose to Haru-chan!” “Nagisa-kun, it’s far too early for that.” “Hmph! You’re no fun, Rei-chan!”),_ and Rei and Makoto being on the more logical side of things. With each passing second, Haru was getting more and more fidgety, glancing at the clock again and again. He wanted to _know_ already.

And amidst the loud chattering in the living room, they heard the doorbell ring.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Rin _still_ couldn’t believe it. This…this was all just some just some crazy dream, right? It sure _felt_ like he was dreaming. Ever since he’d opened that email, he’d been having this weird floating sensation, and his heart was beating _way_ too fast.

But no, this couldn’t have been a dream. The way the early spring breeze was ruffling his hair back, the pale moonlight falling on Haru’s porch, the echoing sound of the doorbell from inside Haru’s house… It all felt real.

Getting impatient, he jabbed his finger against the doorbell a few more times. He wanted to _tell_ Haru already-

And then the knob turned, and standing there was his boyfriend, looking up at him with this look of confusion in his sea-blue eyes. Well, he _would’ve_ been. Rin couldn’t stop himself from full-on _grinning_ , and he was sure his face was probably red from all his excitement and running to and from the train station.

“Rin…?” Haru started, sounding just as perplexed as he looked.

“Haru!” Rin found himself smiling even more. Haru looked even MORE adorable with that confused expression, like a lost puppy. But he was getting distracted. “I have something to tell you!” he said, grabbing Haru’s arm and inviting himself inside. He heard voices coming from the living room…maybe Rei and Makoto and Nagisa were here too? Well, it didn’t matter.

“I _knew_ that,” Haru grumbled (Rin found it _extremely_ cute when Haru did that mumble-y, grumbling thing), but let Rin drag him into the living room.

And sure enough, Makoto and Rei and Nagisa were all sitting there, looking at him with this... _suspense_ , like Rin was the author of some mystery novel and they were waiting for the delinquent to be revealed.

Nagisa was the first to pop the question as soon as Rin sat down, plopping down beside Makoto. Haru stayed standing, arms folded across his chest.

“What’s the news, Rin-chan?”

“So Haru told you about my call, then…” Rin chuckled before taking a deep inhale.

This was it. The big reveal.

“I…”

“You?” the three of them said at the same time, edging closer to him. Haru didn’t say anything, but his intense stare posed as much of a question as everyone else’s.

Rin felt all the excitement rushing back to him. What he’d been _dreaming_ of, all in that one email… It was _way_ too good to be true.

“Well??” Nagisa persisted, eyes wide and agitated.

And now Rin was feeling the color rush to his face, but definitely in _excitement_. And he _finally_ blurted it out.

“I got a modeling request from the GRC in Tokyo!”

...

Rin looked around at the four of them for any reaction, any gasping or, you know, “oh, that’s great, Rin!” But they were all looking at him with the same blank stare, traces of confusion written on their expressions.

Well, except Rei.

Everyone turned to look at Rei as he let out a gasp, eyes getting this wide, disbelieving look in them.

“Rin-san… _the_ GRC?” he whispered, tone completely hushed.

“Yes, _the_ GRC!” Rin exclaimed, slapping Rei on the back. At least _someone_ was realizing what a big deal this was.

Rei’s eyes got even wider, and his mouth fell open in what seemed like shock. “They requested you to model for them?! Rin-san, are you serious?!”

And now Rin couldn’t stop himself from full-out _laughing_. Maybe it was Rei’s reaction, and how everyone else still looked flat-out _lost,_ or maybe it was just that Rin couldn’t even believe it himself. _The_ GRC?! He’d only gone to Tokyo for shoots one or two times, and even _those_ had been smaller, newly-opened companies. But the GRC? That was, like…a _completely_ different level all together!

“Sorry to, uh…’kill the mood’,” Makoto started, looking slightly embarrassed, “but what’s the GRC?”

Rei whipped his head around to face Makoto, looking at him like he’d just committed a crime.

“Makoto-senpai, you haven’t heard of the GRC?!”

Makoto let out a sheepish chuckle. “Not really…”

“What _is_ the GCR??” Nagisa asked, and Haru nodded, clearly also wanting to know.

Rin gave an exasperated sigh. _Of course_ they wouldn’t have heard of it! Heck, he wasn’t even sure if Haru owned a proper suit.

“The _Giovanni Raimondo Casimiro_ ,” Rin and Rei said at the same time, pronouncing each word with careful consideration to the Italian accent.

“The… _huh_?” Haru said, tilting his head to the side and looking even _more_ perplexed. Rin resisted the urge to go over to him and kiss his cheek.

“It’s an Italian company that specializes in dress clothes, Haru,” Rin continued. “They mostly do suits and evening dresses, that kind of stuff, but they also do custom wedding dresses-“

“Their suits are truly a work of beauty and art!” Rei interrupted, face flushed with excitement. “They combine the most _classic_ craftsmanship with modern, top-of-the-market styles, only with the _best_ tailoring, of course, and all fabrics imported directly from Italy and-“

“I didn’t know you were so into fashion, Rei-chan!” Nagisa commented, looking surprised.

Rei scoffed. “I’m not, really. But you would have to be _ignorant_ to not have heard of the GRC!”

“…Did you just call me ignorant, Rei-chan? That’s kind of mean…”

“I-I didn’t mean it like that, Nagisa-kun!”

“It sounds like a pretty expensive company,” Makoto said, Rei and Nagisa still bickering in the background. “I mean, Italian suits are usually considered the best, right?”

“Right,” Rin confirmed, feeling a tiny bud of pride blossoming in his chest.

“Well then, I’m impressed, Rin!” Makoto said, clapping him on the back and smiling that warm, radiant smile that honestly made Rin think of sunflower fields in the summer. “They must’ve been pretty impressed with your modeling to give you a request!”

“Thanks,” Rin said, feeling his face heat up slightly. “They _did_ mention a shoot I did a few months ago, for this winter collection…”

“That’s _so_ cool, Rin-chan!” Nagisa blabbered on, excitedly gripping Rin’s arm and shaking it. “You’re going to be, like…SO rich!”

Rin let out an awkward, embarrassed laugh. “Nah, not really. It’s not like I’m _permanently_ working for them, it’s just gonna be one shoot.”

“But what if they’re _so_ impressed with Rin-chan’s modeling,” Nagisa continued, his expression becoming thoughtful, “that they want to hire you to model for them permanently?”

There was a brief moment of silence in the living room, everyone’s eyes going to Rin’s. Funny thing, in Rin’s excitement, he hadn’t even considered that.

“Well…” Rin started, thinking carefully as he spoke. “It would definitely be _nice_ modeling for such a well-known company, and no doubt that the pay would also be great, but…I think it would get a little boring. Like…I think it’s better to have variety. To sometimes model formal clothing, sometimes casual, or something in between, ya know?”

Everyone’s eyes were still on Rin, seemingly considering what he had just said. A few seconds later, Makoto gave a small nod.

“No, that actually makes a lot of sense, Rin,” he said, and Rei and Nagisa gave simultaneous nods.

And that’s when Rin noticed Haru’s expression. Haru, who, Rin realized, hadn’t said a single word since his “big revelation”, was looking down at him with this _smile_ , this gentle, affectionate, “barely-there” smile that made Rin’s heart somersault in his chest. Obviously, he’d _seen_ Haru smile before, but there was something about this one. It was that…that _look_ Haru had in his eyes. It was slightly similar to the look he got when he looked at an ocean, or a lake, but more… _passionate_. And what, Rin wondered, could make his boyfriend happier than water, he wasn’t sure.

“What’s up, Haru?” he smirked. He’d meant for his tone to come out as, well, _sexy_ and teasing, but it came out more affectionately than intended.

Haru, just seeming to realize that Rin had been looking at him, turned his face away, the soft smile turning into this little pout. “Nothing,” he muttered, and Rin was _sure_ that his cheeks had become a little pinker.

_How fucking CUTE can a guy get?!_

Unable to control himself anymore, Rin took Haru’s hand and pulled him down to sit beside him. Then, not really considering the other three in the room, he took Haru’s face in his hands, gently thumbing his cheek before pressing their lips together in a slow, soft kiss. Haru immediately responded, kissing Rin back and moving a little closer, so he was nearly in Rin’s lap. Rin ran his tongue over Haru’s lower lip, tangling his fingers in Haru’s silky black hair before completely prodding his tongue into Haru’s open mouth.

When they _finally_ pulled apart, faces flushed and breathing a little faster, Nagisa cleared his throat.

_…Oh._

Rin turned to face the momentarily-forgotten guys sitting in front of him, feeling slightly embarrassed. Makoto was looking away, face red and seeming to find the wall _very_ interesting as he rubbed the back of his neck. Rei, similar.

But _Nagisa_ , on the other hand, was grinning and shaking his head like he’d just caught two high-schoolers trying to get it on in the locker rooms or something.

“ _Man,_ you two should give us a warning or something next time!” he said, giving a little chuckle. “Maybe we should leave?”

“Uh…I think it IS getting late,” Makoto nearly squeaked, face still as red as ever. “Don’t you think so, Rei?”

“Indeed, it’s getting extremely late,” Rei agreed hurriedly, nearly _jumping_ up from his spot and brushing himself off. “It’s not good for the mental or physical health, staying up this late!”

“Rei-chan, it’s Friday. And it’s only nine,” Nagisa snorted.

“But we _should_ get going, right, Nagisa?” Makoto said, voice holding this slightly pleading undertone. Rin couldn’t stop himself from letting out a snort. It had only been _one_ kiss, but it seemed like Makoto was eternally traumatized over that time he’d walked in on him and Haru (nearly) having sex on the couch.

Nagisa sighed, getting up. “Fine, fine…”

“Well, uh, we’ll be going then!” Makoto said far too quickly, bending down to put his shoes on. “And good luck with the shoot, Rin!”

“Thanks.”

A few goodbyes (and winks from Nagisa) later, the three of them left, leaving Rin and Haru alone on the living room floor. He heard Haru give a little snort.

“They left pretty quickly after that, huh?”

Rin chuckled. “Yeah.”

Oh, and _then_ Haru leaned into him, hot breath against Rin’s ear as he murmured into it. “Maybe we should…make up for them leaving?”

Rin smirked. Haru was always acted so _cute_ , it made Rin forget how, well… _bad_ he could be.

“Yeah…” he mused, _ever_ so slowly teasing his fingers up Haru’s shirt. “It’d be a shame if they left for no reason…”

A few messy, passionate kisses later, both he and Haru were shirtless and hard. Haru got up first, pulling Rin up by the arm and tugging him up the stairs, pulling him into the bedroom and shutting the door behind them. Rin chuckled. He _really_ loved it when Haru was the one getting desperate and needy, silently but persistently tugging him around.

“Come _on_ , Rin,” Haru almost _whined_ , pulling him towards the bed.

“Yeah, sorry,” Rin said, unbuttoning his jeans and pulling them off (boxers too, of course), tossing them aside before proceeding to help Haru pull _his_ off.

 _At least we won’t get interrupted this time_ , Rin thought, placing his hands on Haru’s hips and slowly moving them backwards to grope his perfect ass, before pushing him down onto the bed with another wet, messy kiss.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Haru?”

Rin was sitting at Haru’s kitchen table, showered and, well, feeling _satisfied_ from what they’d done in the past hour. Now Haru was standing over the stove, wearing a blue t-shirt over those weird-ass (but endearingly _cute_ ) mackerel boxers of his.

“Hmm?” he replied, stirring something in the pot in front of him. _Obviously_ mackerel, but at least he wasn’t just frying it this time.

“Just wondering…but you didn’t really say anything about my shoot request,” Rin said, gently rocking back and forth in his chair. He was just _curious_ , that’s all.

He saw Haru’s hand freeze for a second, before he (almost too quickly) went back to stirring his mackerel stew.

“It’s good… You wanted a bigger modeling job,” Haru said, and Rin couldn’t help but notice how his voice sounded kind of… _strained_.

“Is something wrong, Haru?” Rin asked, slightly concerned.

“Not really,” Haru muttered, grip on the ladle getting tighter.

Rin sighed and got up, going over to Haru and gently putting his arms around his waist, resting his head on Haru’s shoulder. He really didn’t like it when Haru got all “closed-up” like this.

“Rin…” Haru started, tone quiet and slightly _distressed_ sounding. “How long are you going to be in Tokyo?”

“Hmm, probably a week. The shoot is supposed to be on Wednesday, so it'd be a good idea to be there by Monday.”

Haru didn’t reply, his hand simply gripping the ladle even tighter.

_…Oh._

And THAT’S when it hit Rin that Haru might’ve just been acting like this because he would’ve _missed_ Rin, even if it was only for a week. It wasn’t really surprising, they saw each other nearly every single day now. And _heck_ , if Haru had been going somewhere for a week, Rin would’ve missed him like crazy.

Then he got an idea. Haru’s art classes had finished, and according to what he had said, he wasn’t planning on doing anything for the next few months. So why not?

“Haru?” he asked, nuzzling his face into the soft fabric of his shirt.

“Hmm?”

“Would you…would you want to come with me to Tokyo?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who knew Rei would be so into Italian suits, eh? ;D And Rin, it's not AS simple as Haru missing you, as you'll see later...
> 
> (ALSO, DID YOU THINK I WOULD WRITE SMUT? Naaah, I'm a total dweeb :'D)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fist of all, HUGE apology for this being such a silly, short chapter, especially when I took, like...a WEEK to write it. Midterms and writer's blocks and urrrgh... But gladly, the LOVELY maybeillride helped me with that block (THANK YOU, DEAR! ;D), and chapters should hopefully be up quicker 'cause midterms are OVER! ;D *throws confetti in the air*

“T-Tokyo?”

 _…Wow._ Haru really hadn’t been expecting _that_.

But Rin didn’t seem to find anything about his sudden, “out-of-the-blue” idea surprising or unusual. “Yeah,” he yawned, burying his face into the crook of Haru’s neck. “You said you didn’t have any plans, so why not?”

Well, Haru _had_ said that, and he really didn’t have any plans. But…

“Aren’t you going for work?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Rin muttered, his breath warm against Haru’s neck. “I want you to be there.”

And for some reason, _that_ really caught Haru off guard.

He tried to fight off the color that was rising to his face. _Rin…wants me to be there?_

He gave his head a quick shake, trying to dismiss his surprise at the comment. They’d been dating for nearly five months; Haru _should’ve_ seen all this coming.

And he _knew_ that he should’ve been happy for Rin, extremely happy. Rin talked about it all the time, wanting to get a modeling job from a bigger company, maybe even permanently working for one. And it had _finally_ happened. Rin had earned it, with his gorgeous modeling, and he’d been _so_ excited…

…Yet, the first thing Haru had felt when Rin spilt the news was, strangely enough… _fear_. Sure, it was only a little bit, a tiny flash that went through him, but it had been fear all the same. Haru wasn’t even sure _why_.

But he knew that when Rin had said those lines, about not working for one company, about modeling the way he wanted, any fear or doubt that Haru had in him had been replaced with this immense _happiness_. It was like Rin had taken a burden off Haru’s chest by saying those words.

“Ha _ru_ ,” Rin whined, continuing to nuzzle his face into Haru’s neck. “What do you say?”

“…Okay.”

…

“Wait… _what?!_ ” Rin jolted upright, grabbing Haru by the shoulders and practically _flipping_ him around to face him. “You mean it?!”

Haru felt his cheeks heating up yet again. “Why not?” he muttered, turning his face away. It was like Rin said, he didn’t have any plans…

“H-Haru!” Rin wrapped his arms around Haru, enveloping him in a warm, tight hug. Haru couldn’t stop a tiny smile from crossing his lips.

“Thank you,” Rin mumbled into Haru’s ear, running his fingers through Haru’s hair.

Haru didn’t say anything, but momentarily wrapped his arms around Rin, quickly hugging him back before turning back to the mackerel stew.

He still didn’t understand why he’d gotten scared at the prospect of Rin modeling for a big company in Tokyo, but he knew something. As long as he was with Rin, they would both probably be fine.

 

* * *

 

 

Haru knew that Rin was excited; he _understood_ that, really, but he was _really_ starting to wish that his boyfriend would just… _shut up already._

While they’d been eating dinner, he’d been blabbing about Tokyo plans.

While they’d been walking outside, he’d been blabbing about Tokyo plans.

While they’d been getting ready for bed: Tokyo plans.

And now when they were _in_ bed, with Haru _trying_ to go to sleep, he was STILL blabbing about Tokyo. He was going on and on and _on_ about the famed “GRC”, when his shoot was, what he was going to pack, what he was going to wear, what _Haru_ should pack and wear, about famous tourist destinations in Tokyo…

And _now,_ as Haru smothered a pillow over his head and groaned, Rin was going on about the hotel they were staying in, about how the manager _herself_ at the GRC had recommended it, some equally posh hotel to go with the equally posh company.

“We could book one room for ourselves, obviously,” Rin went on, excitement lacing his tone. “Heh, I could even book us the _honeymoon suite_ , Haru…”

“ _Rin_.”

Rin chuckled, wrapping an arm around Haru. “I was just kidding, you know…”

Haru sighed. “ _Book_ the honeymoon suite, Rin. I don’t care. Just…let me sleep.”

And Rin _obviously_ did exactly what he did the past fifteen times Haru had told him to stop talking. He’d agree that it was getting late, kiss Haru’s forehead, say goodnight, and _then,_ after a few minutes of silence, he’d start _again._

Haru’s heavy eyelids were closing, and he thought that Rin had _finally_ shut up and fallen asleep. Snuggling against his warm, solid body, Haru started drifting off, mind going into that “pre-sleep haze”.

But _then_ :

“Hey, Haru? You awake?”

“No,” Haru muttered, trying his best to ignore him and go back into his sleep haze.

“Oh, good. You are…”

And then it was round _sixteen_ , Rin continuing the topic of the hotel, going on about the features and how it was oh-so-close to the GRC and whatnot. And as much as Haru tried to block his babbling out and _sleep_ , his brain had this… _natural_ _response_ to pay attention to Rin whenever he was in the room, much to his current disdain.

Suddenly, Rin jolted up into sitting position, slamming his shoulder against Haru’s head.

“What _now?_ ” Haru growled, rubbing the back of his head. Not only was he completely awake now, but also just plain _irritated_.

The look on Rin’s face caught him off guard, though. He looked… _distressed_. Distressed and shocked, and a little bit _scared_.

“Rin?” he said, gently taking Rin’s hand in his own. “What- what’s wrong?”

Rin gave a small, nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “I forgot to tell you something. About the trip…”

Haru continued to stroke Rin’s fingers with his own, silently urging him to go on.

“Well…” he started, avoiding Haru’s gaze and keeping his eyes glued to their entwined hands in his lap. “You see, we…aren’t the only ones going.”

Haru raised an eyebrow, confused. “Who’s coming with us?”

“…Sousuke.”

…

“Why is _Yamazaki_ coming with us?” Haru asked, completely perplexed. He’d met Yamazaki once, a while ago, and they hadn’t exactly gotten _along_. It’d ended with a ton of glaring, as Haru remembered.

Another awkward, nervous laugh from Rin. “Sousuke usually comes with me for bigger shoots, ‘cause he’s better at, well, being _business-like_ and all that. Not that _I_ can’t handle that stuff, but it really helps when I’m busy doing the actual modeling…”

“…Oh.”

“You don’t mind, do you, Haru?” Rin asked, concern lacing his tone as he reached out to thumb Haru’s cheek.

“Not really,” Haru muttered, tilting his face into Rin’s hand. And he really didn’t mind too much. It’s not like he and Rin were going for some honeymoon-ish date vacation anyway. It was for Rin’s work, and if Yamazaki was coming to help with it, it was a good thing, right? And he’d still be with Rin, so what did it matter?

“You sure, Haru?” Rin continued, still sounding concerned. “I just…completely _forgot_ when you said you were coming. I’m sorry I didn’t-“

Haru leaned in and pressed his lips against Rin’s, pushing him back down on the bed in a last-resort attempt to shut his babbling, worrying (yet _so_ endearing) boyfriend _up_. It was a soft, slow kiss, with Rin’s arms going around Haru’s waist, and Haru’s hands moving up and down Rin’s perfect, solid chest.

A few seconds later, when they pulled away, Haru sat up (still straddling Rin’s thighs) and brushed a few stray strands of his boyfriend’s wine-red hair away from his slightly-dazed face.

“ _Rin_. I’m fine, so stop worrying. And stop talking. I want to sleep.”

Rin let out a weak chuckle. “Yeah, sorry,” he said, cupping Haru’s chin in his hand and leaning up for a quick kiss. Haru then settled his head on Rin’s chest, enjoying the rhythmic way Rin was combing his fingers through Haru’s hair.

“Love you, Haru…” he heard Rin sleepily mumble.

Haru hummed in reply, burying his face even deeper into the fabric of Rin’s tank top as a sleepy little smile crossed his face.

And he finally, _finally_ fell asleep.

 

* * *

 

 

“Don’t forget to start packing, Haru,” Rin reminded him, pulling his sweater off the coat hanger and slipping it on.

“Yeah, yeah,” Haru muttered exasperatedly, and Rin knew that he’d repeated it nearly twenty times, but Haru _really_ didn’t look like he was getting up anytime soon. No, his boyfriend was curled up on the couch, sketchbook and pencils in hand, blanket thrown over him and cup of coffee beside him, sketching away.

Rin couldn’t stop this feeling of…of _fondness_ running through him, kind of just _hitting_ him in the chest. Haru just looked so cute and – and _peaceful,_ like a cat lounging around on a sunny day.

He went over to the couch and pressed his lips against Haru’s, giving him one last kiss before heading to the train station.

“Later, Haru,” he muttered, gently thumbing his cheek.

“Hmm,” Haru hummed in response, giving Rin a quick peck on the nose before turning back to his sketching. Rin glanced at it, and chuckled when he saw that Haru was drawing _him_ , in that absolutely gorgeous art style of his. He seemed to be standing in front of…a tree? He took a closer look.

_A…cherry blossom tree?_

Oh, and _now_ Rin found himself blushing, that “inner-romantic” side of him emerging. Haru was drawing him by a cherry blossom tree?! That was just…so _classically_ romantic…

“Oi, _Rin_ ,” Haru muttered, covering the sketchbook with his forearm. Rin couldn’t help chuckling. Haru’s cheeks were _pink_ , and he was averting his gaze from Rin’s.

“Right, sorry,” Rin said, kissing his cheek. “I’ll leave now.”

Haru nodded, going back to his drawing _only_ after Rin was well away from the couch.

And the whole walk to the train station, he felt like he was floating. Oh, and he _knew_ this sensation very well. It was exactly what Sousuke had described as “lovesickness”. But honestly, with a guy like Haru around, how on _earth_ could he help it?

Fifteen minutes later, he was seated and waiting to reach his apartment, thoughts of Haru and Tokyo and the _huge_ , modern, sleek GRC building swarming his head. The thought made him a little nervous, honestly, going to the GRC building. It was probably like those companies in movies, where everyone was fashionable and sleek and haughty and _oh-so-judging_ …

Rin shook his head, quickly dismissing those thoughts. They’d _called_ him to model, for god’s sake, which _must’ve_ meant that they’d found his modeling impressive.

_And Haru’s coming too._

He smiled at the thought. It was exciting and _romantic_ , for sure, taking his _boyfriend_ to Tokyo, but it was also strangely calming. He just felt that if Haru was going with him...he’d be _fine_ , no matter what happened.

In the midst of his musings, he heard his phone give a beep. He frowned, slipping it out of his pocket. He’d literally left Haru’s house _twenty_ minutes ago, what…? Or maybe it was Sousuke…

**_Makoto_ **

_...Huh?_ Unlocking his phone, Rin read the single message.

**_M: Hey, Rin?_ **

Raising an eyebrow, Rin typed back.

**_R: Makoto. What’s up?_ **

**_M: I have to tell you something._ **

**_R: What is it?_ **

**_M: You and Haru wouldn’t mind some company, right?_ **

**_R: ?_ **

**_M: Well…I might be joining you guys in Tokyo for a few days, ahahaha…_ **

****

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I implying that we MAY get SouMako in Tokyo...? ;D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO there, you lovely peeps! ;D Sorry for this considerably short chapter, I think I have a cold...

“So Nanase’s coming with us?”

Rin sighed, folding yet _another_ pair of jeans and throwing them into his suitcase. He was an over-packer, he knew, but…what _if_ the situation where he needed one of his six different blazers arrived? It could happen, maybe…

“Yeah. Don’t sound so grumpy about it, Sousuke!”

“I’m not being _grumpy_ ,” Sousuke said, positively _grumbling_. “Just…don’t get distracted, okay?”

Rin gave the clothes in his suitcase a once-over. _Maybe I should bring a suit…?_

“I know, I know. I _couldn’t_ get distracted, anyway. You _know_ how long I’ve been waiting for this, Sousuke!”

He heard Sousuke give a small chuckle from where he was sitting on the couch. “I know, Rin. I’m glad for you.”

_Nah, wearing a suit to the GRC wouldn’t work…_

He momentarily turned away from his (oversized) suitcase and walk-in closet to look at Sousuke, who was lazily sprawled out on the couch, eyes closed.

“Sousuke.”

“Yeah?”

“You need to pack a suit. A _good_ suit.”

Sousuke’s eyes cracked open, meeting Rin’s with a completely perplexed look. “Why?”

Rin snorted. “You’re practically my manager, Sousuke! _And_ my personal assistant. So you should be wearing a suit.”

He heard Sousuke give an amused hum. “How so?”

Rin sighed. “Your game of fishing compliments is getting _old_ , Sousuke.”

“Tell me how I’m your manager, Rin.”

“No.”

“I won’t bring a suit, then.”

Rin groaned. “Okay, _fine_ ,” he spat out, giving in. “You’re better at all this business stuff than I am, and you’re actually _helpful_ when I’m modeling, or when I have to remember dates and names. Happy?”

Sousuke settled back on the couch, closing his eyes with a smug little smile on his face, much to Rin’s exasperation. “Yeah, fine.”

Rin simply gave another sigh and turned back to his suitcase. He’d packed even more than he usually did, which was saying something. And it was only a one week trip!

_But still…_

He went over the contents of his suitcase one more time. Two pairs of sneakers, one pair of dress shoes (just in case), one pair of more casual-looking loafers (the maroon ones), those six differently-styled and cut blazers, a few dress shirts (another “just in case”), his jogging gear, a few hoodies, and _a lot_ of different assorted t-shirts and pairs of jeans. Oh, _and_ that box of condoms. Just in case the hotel didn’t complementarily offer them…

“Rin?” Sousuke said, interrupting Rin’s lustful “honeymoon-suite with Haru” fantasies.

“Yeah?”

“Nanase’s friend, Tachisana-“

“Tachi _bana_.”

“Yeah, him. He’s going to be sharing my room, right?”

“Yup. Like I said, it’s to save money. And he’ll only be there for three days, don’t worry.

Sousuke still looked troubled. “But a friend of Nanase’s…”

Rin gave a sigh. “Don’t _worry_ , Sousuke. He’ll be out most of the time, because of that research paper he’s working on. And Makoto’s some sort of living sunbeam who gets along with everyone.”

Sousuke closed his eyes, sighing. “If you say so, Rin.”

“You don’t sound very convinced, Sousuke.”

“I’m not.”

Rin snorted, going back to his suitcase. “You’ll like Makoto, trust me.”

Sousuke hummed in response, still not sounding persuaded.

 _Well_ , Rin thought, closing the flap over the suitcase, _he’ll see._

“One last thing, Rin.”

“Now what?” Rin grumbled, struggling to zip the suitcase shut. Maybe a bigger suitcase…?

“Don’t start making-out with Nanase in front of me.”

“Like _hell_ , Sousuke!” Rin exclaimed, feeling his face heat up and grabbing the nearest object (a sock) and throwing it at him.

Sousuke just chuckled and caught the sock, much to Rin’s exasperation.

 

* * *

 

 

“Uh…are you sure that’s enough, Haru?”

Haru looked at the duffel bag in front of him. Thirty percent was probably clothes, shoved into a corner, and the rest of the seventy percent was taken up by his art supplies. Assorted pencils, pens, paints, sketchbooks, notebooks, and paintbrushes neatly arranged in order of color, hardness, and page-thickness filled most of the duffel bag.

“I don’t see why not.”

Makoto gave a sigh. “I _really_ don’t think so, Haru. At least take another pair of shoes!”

Haru sighed. Okay, so _maybe_ he needed more clothes for a one-week trip. But he needed all his art supplies, too.

“Should I get your suitcase, Haru?” Makoto asked with a small smile, doing that “mind-reading” thing that he was so good at.

Haru nodded, going over to his (considerably small) closet to take out some more clothes. The only clothes he’d packed were two pairs of jeans, a pair of sweatpants, a few t-shirts (including his Loosey-kun t-shirt. That was important.), and his jammers.

A few minutes later, Makoto returned to the room with a navy-blue roller suitcase, the one Haru hadn’t used or seen in _years_. He was guessing it had been under the stairs, as it was covered in a prominent layer of dust.

After Makoto dusted it off, coughing, he placed it on the floor and kneeled down, helping Haru transfer the stuff from the duffel bag to the suitcase.

“Ha _ru_ ,” he sighed, looking at the contents of the suitcase in dismay.

“What now?”

“I told you to pack another pair of shoes!” he said, getting up and going over to Haru’s closet. “Never mind, I’ll get them…”

Haru hummed in response, neatly placing his art supplies into the suitcase and arranging them once again. As exasperating as Makoto’s, well, _motherly_ nature could be at times, Haru was grateful that he was there. Otherwise, he’d probably be wearing Rin’s clothes the whole trip.

Not that he minded that, of course.

Makoto came back with a pair of sneakers and a few pairs of socks, kneeling down and neatly tucking them into the suitcase. They both gave the suitcase a once-over, Makoto without a doubt going over the clothes and Haru over the art supplies, and then nodded.

“Looks like we’re done.”

“Yeah.”

Makoto zipped it closed and rolled it over to the wall beside Haru’s bed, leaving it there.

“Did you finish packing, Makoto?” Haru asked, hugging his knees to his chest.

Makoto walked over and sat beside him, pulling the same pose. “Yeah. I finished yesterday.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes, silently sitting side-by-side on Haru’s bedroom floor. Makoto was the first to speak.

“You know, Haru,” he said softly, nearly whispering, “I’m glad Rin’s taking you to Tokyo.”

Haru turned his head to look at Makoto, who had this gentle, warm smile on his face. And in his eyes.

Haru tilted his head, continuing to stare at his best friend. Makoto seemed to be… _thinking_.

“How so?” Haru asked, breaking the silence. Though from the way Makoto looked, he had an idea…

“It’s just…” Makoto started, green eyes meeting Haru’s deep-blue ones. But then he stopped, dropping his gaze and shaking his head. “No, it’s nothing, really.”

Now Haru was s _ure_ about what Makoto was going to say. And he was still in no mood to talk about it.

“Oh,” he said, voice as monotone as ever.

A few moments of almost a _wkward_ silence (which, as much as Haru tried not to show it, worried him. He and Makoto never had “awkward” silences.), Makoto got up, dusting himself off.

“Well, I should go now.”

Haru hummed in response, not looking up.

“We’re going to the airport at seven tomorrow, okay?”

Haru nodded. He knew Makoto was giving him that worried once-over, the one he gave Haru when he knew that something was wrong.

_There’s nothing wrong. I just don’t feel like talking about jobs and careers and that kind of pointless stuff._

“Well…goodnight, Haru,” Makoto said, giving Haru one last smile before leaving the room.

“Night,” Haru muttered in response.

…..

Haru should’ve been asleep by now. Their flight was at nine, and they were leaving at seven, which meant Haru would have to be up by _at least_ six-thirty.

But no. It was quarter-past-twelve, and Haru was sitting in his bathtub, knees hugged to his chest and _thinking_. The water had turned from hot to lukewarm, but he barely noticed.

 _This trip is for Rin, not for me. I’m just tagging along, and I_ don’t _need people telling me that I have talent, and that I need to use it._

He flicked a finger at the water, splashing a few drops over the rim of the tub.

_I draw because I want to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so mean, stressing-out Haru bby like that :'D Well, the REAL stuff's gonna happen in Tokyo, so...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru is _tired_ , but airport security and an excited Rin are quite distracting.

“Hey, Haru?”

 _Funny._ That sounded like Rin. But why on earth would Rin be here, when Haru was swimming at the bottom of the ocean, the sunlight barely finding its way all these miles under the surface?

“ _Haru.”_

Now he felt someone grabbing his shoulder, and shaking it. But that was impossible, he was alone down here-

“Haru, get _up_.”

Haru’s eyes shot open, his head jolting up (had it been on Rin’s shoulder…?), only to have that headache he’d been having since he’d gotten out of bed return. Trying to ignore the pounding in his temples, he looked around.

_Where am I…?_

After a few seconds of blank, incomprehensive blinking, he realized that he was staring at the back of the seat in front of him; Makoto’s seat; the plastic tray pulled up. And to his left, the tiny, oval-shaped airplane window, showing what Haru _supposed_ was Tokyo’s aerial view.

And to his left was Rin, smirking like he found Haru _amusing_ or something.

He felt awful, and he was sure he looked just as bad. His breath did _not_ smell pleasant, his hair was a rat’s nest, and his head was still pounding. He _knew_ he should’ve slept earlier, and not stayed up in his bathtub until half-past-two in the morning. But had he listened to himself?

“Morning, Haru,” Rin said, still sounding amused and oh-so- _cheerful_ , the complete opposite of what Haru felt like. “We’re about to land-“

And right on cue, Haru lurched forward, the plane’s sudden downward dip catching him by surprise.

“Seatbelt, Haru. _Seatbelt.”_

A few seconds of fumbling fingers later, Haru’s seatbelt was securely hugging his hip, and he was getting used to the plane’s tilting momentum now. He rested his head on Rin’s shoulder once again, his eyes starting to close out of utter drowsiness.

He heard Rin give a chuckle, then press his lips to the top of Haru’s head. “Don’t fall asleep now, Haru.”

“But I’m _tired_ ,” Haru mumbled, turning his face and burying it into the fabric of Rin’s hoodie.

Rin sighed, putting an arm around Haru’s shoulders. Rin felt so warm and _nice_ , Haru couldn’t stop himself from completely leaning against him, nuzzling into him.

“Didn’t I tell you to sleep early?” Rin muttered, resting his cheek on top of Haru’s head.

Haru simply gave an incoherent grunt, trying to go back to sleep.

“What were you doing up so late, anyway?”

“Taking a bath.”

He heard Rin give a snort. “Sounds like something you would do, Haru.”

“Shut up,” Haru muttered sleepily, flicking a finger at Rin’s thigh.

…..

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve now arrived at Haneda Airport, Tokyo. Please remain seated until…”

Haru groaned, the airhostess’s _bothersome_ voice (unwillingly) pulling him out of his sleep haze. And justwhen he was about to fall asleep, too…

Much to his disdain, Rin started getting up, along with Yamazaki and several other people on the plane, moving to get their baggage from the overhead compartments.

“No,” he muttered, clinging onto Rin’s arm like some desperate, sleepy koala and continuing to bury his face into Rin’s hoodie.

Rin chuckled, giving him that “amused” look once again. “You can sleep when we get to the hotel, okay?”

Haru considered it. Sleeping on an actual bed would’ve been _much_ more comfortable than these restricting airplane seats. And sure, Rin’s hoodie was all warm and nice, but he was sure that a naked Rin would be even _nicer_ to cuddle with.

So with a sigh, he grudgingly let go of Rin’s arm and started getting up, brushing himself off. Rin was getting two bags from their seat’s overhead compartment; one a backpack (maroon and black, so it was definitely Rin’s) and one a duffel (Yamazaki’s, probably, since neither he nor Makoto had brought any carry-ons).

And _speaking_ of Yamazaki and Makoto, since when had the two of them gotten so friendly with each other? As they all walked toward the plane’s exit, Haru could’ve _sworn_ that Makoto was calling Yamazaki “Sousuke”, and that Yamazaki had also gone into first name basis with Makoto. They were talking like they’d known each other forever, and even though Yamazaki looked as intimidating and brooding as he always seemed to look, he seemed kind of…flustered?

Oh, _especially_ when Makoto laughed. Haru couldn’t stop a small smirk from passing over his face. Apparently, Haru had missed _something_ in the one-and-a-half hours that he’d been snoring away on Rin’s shoulder.

They entered the airport, and Haru was sure he would’ve been at least a _little_ taken aback by the crowds if he weren’t so tired. But seriously, as Yamazaki and Rin maneuvered them through lines and security checks, Haru was sure that he could hear at least four different languages being spoken, and there were clearly people of _many_ nationalities here, despite Haneda Airport specializing in domestic flights.

After what seemed like _hours_ of crowds and lines and Haru sleepily dragging his feet and yawning, they were finally, FINALLY done going through those airport security checks. The only thing that was keeping Haru from falling asleep right here on this cold, still metal bench as he waited for Makoto and Yamazaki to bring the suitcases was the prospect of lying down in a warm, soft hotel bed, and a nude Rin beside him.

 _Speaking of Rin…_ Haru thought, his eyes darting around the perimeter. _Where is he?_

“Ha _ru_. Here.”

And if it weren’t for his abnormally fast reflexes, Haru was sure that the plastic water bottle that Rin had just thrown him would’ve hit him square in the forehead. But thankfully, he caught it in one hand, gazing at it like it was a blessing from the water gods above (below…?).

“So…” Rin started, plopping down on the bench beside Haru. “How’s Tokyo so far?”

“ _Rin_ ,” he snorted, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after taking a few sips. “We’re not even outside the airport yet.”

“I know, I _know_ ,” Rin muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as his face became a light shade of red. “But…doesn’t it _feel_ different?”

Haru thought about it for a moment. Well…there was this _difference_ in the atmosphere. Maybe it was the fact that there were so many people from so many different places here, or simply that this airport was _huge_ , but there was something about it that gave Haru these _vibes_.

“So was I right?” Rin practically _sang,_ giving Haru a knowing smirk.

“Shut up,” Haru muttered, feeling his face heat up as he turned away.

Rin chuckled, taking Haru’s hand in his own. And then, suddenhly, his voice became softer, filled with this _affection_. “But, you know, Haru, I’m really glad that-“

“Hey, guys!”

Haru jolted up, Makoto’s yell momentarily getting rid of his drowsiness. He was jogging towards them, Yamazaki a few steps behind, pushing a luggage cart piled with their suitcases. All their suitcases, Haru noticed, were considerably small. All except _Rin’s_ , of course. His deep maroon suitcase looked like the goddamn continent of _Asia_ next to Australia if you compared it to Makoto’s tiny roller suitcase.

“Sousuke already called a taxi, so we won’t have to wait,” Makoto said as they all walked towards the exit doors, and much to Haru’s relief, too. He wasn’t in the mood to wait in this airport any longer.

“Since when did _they_ get so close?” Rin snorted to Haru as Makoto went ahead, catching up to Sousuke.

Haru shrugged, honestly perplexed. He didn’t really think that Yamazaki was the kind of person that one could so easily become comfortable around. But then again, this _was_ Makoto…

…..

The hotel wasn’t very far away from the airport. It was only a thirty-minute drive, so their “super high-end” (according to Rin) hotel was still in quite a central area of Tokyo, alongside the GRC’s famed Tokyo showroom and main building.

Yamazaki was making small ( _very_ small) talk with the taxi driver, Makoto was staring out the window in complete awe (Haru knew that _he’d_ never really been outside their tiny hometown either), and Rin looked like an excited little kid, practically bouncing up and down, pointing out all these landmarks and buildings to Makoto and Haru. Haru found it amusing and kind of _cute_ , to be honest. Rin really liked big cities, huh? Or maybe it was just Tokyo…?

 _No_ , Haru thought, giving his head a quick shake. It couldn’t just be Tokyo. For some reason Haru couldn’t really place, Rin _seemed_ like a “big city” kind of person. The image of him being surrounded by people and tall buildings and city lights…it just _fit._

“Haru,” Rin said excitedly, grabbing Haru’s hand and successfully snapping him out of his thoughts. “So…how’s Tokyo??”

Haru gave another snort, but entwined his fingers with Rin’s. It had onlybeen _half-an-hour_. But Rin looked so _eager_ , he decided that maybe he _should_ say something…

“It’s… _big_ …”

Rin chuckled, giving Haru’s hand a squeeze. “No _shit_ , Haru! But, yeah, I guess it is…”

They stayed like that for a while, fingers intertwined and leaning into each other, staring out the window at the tall, tall buildings and the many, many people and the cherry blossom trees that were just starting to bloom, their pink petals delicately dropping to the ground, until the car came to a halt.

Yamazaki, Haru noticed, still clinging onto Rin’s hand, was _very_ businesslike. Haru could totally imagine him in a suit, holding a briefcase and a clipboard while paying the taxi driver and checking them into the hotel. Maybe it was the serious expression and that deep voice, or maybe people were just intimidated because he was so tall and quiet…

As it turned out, Rin _hadn’t_ booked the honeymoon suite like he said he would do, but at that point, Haru _really_ didn’t care. It was a room with a king-sized bed, and Haru only managed to fumblingly take his shoes off before diving under the covers like it was the sea on the hottest day of summer.

He heard Rin walking into the room with their suitcases, and then chuckling at the sight of Haru in front of him. But for once, Haru didn’t have the energy to think of a comeback. He couldn’t even halfheartedly tell Rin to shut up. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the overly-plush pillows.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, I feel like this was a ridiculously LAZY chapter... But at least Haru got some sleep, huh? ;D And poor Sousuke, having to handle all the security and paperwork :'D S'okay, Sou, you'll catch a break soon enough ;D


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And WOW, this chapter took a lot longer than I expected, ahaha... Gomen, everyone :'D

Rin was really considering waking Haru up now.

Sure, it wasn’t the most _polite_ thing to do, and he’d learned from experience that Haru wasn’t in the most pleasant of moods when you forced him awake, but Rin was getting _bored._ And it didn’t feel right to simply leave the hotel (as eager as Rin was to see Tokyo) without at least _telling_ Haru, if not dragging him along.

So for the past four hours, as his boyfriend had been curled up under the sheets, silky black hair sticking up all over the place and snoring ever so gently, Rin had prowled around the their hotel room, doing anything and _everything_ he could think of to keep himself distracted.

At first, he’d just stripped into his boxers and curled into bed beside an already-sleeping Haru, the effects of waking up so early and running around airports finally hitting him. But he’d only dozed off for half-an-hour before waking up once again, the feeling of utter _restlessness_ taking over him.

Thenhe’d decided to do something that was honestly just _childish_ , something that Sousuke and Haru would probably laugh at him for (Makoto was too nice to). But…how could he help it?? This was probably the most _extravagant_ hotel he’d ever stayed in, with all its facilities (indoor pool _and_ outdoor pool? SCORE!) and the fifty-inch flat screen TVs and the chandeliers hanging from the _super_ high ceiling of the lobby, so how could he possibly _resist_ exploring the hotel room?

So that was exactly what he had done for the next hour. Opening every single drawer and cabinet he could find, looking through all the complementarily-given hotel items (slippers, bath robes, soap, shampoo, shower gel, toothpaste, _four_ different kinds of instant coffees and _five_ different teas, water bottles, even _condoms_ in the bathroom cabinet, goddamnit), going through the room service menu (Japanese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, American cuisine…almost _everything,_ really), and admiring the beige, oh-so-plush carpet of the room, which was (!!!) _covered in cherry blossom branch prints._

But if Rin _had_ to choose, he would’ve said that his favorite thing about the room was the view. Even though it showed off Tokyo’s skyline, tall buildings and Tokyo Tower and all, perfectly in the afternoon sun, Rin had a feeling it would look even _better_ at night, all illuminated by city lights and pale moonlight… His inner-romantic had been swooning.

And _then,_ after he’d without-a-doubt covered every square inch of the room, he’d decided that maybe _now_ was a good time to call Gou. Though he’d originally planned on going over to her place and surprising her, he was running out of things to do. And, as Rin had expected, their conversation had gone something like:

“ _Big brother, WHY didn’t you tell me you were coming to Tokyo??!”_

 _“Heh, sorry, Gou_. _It was supposed to be a surprise…”_

And Rin could practically HEAR Gou rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. “ _A surprise, Rin? Really? Sure you didn’t just, oh, I don’t know,_ forget _to tell your little sister?”_

 _“_ Obviously _not, Gou! And I’m here for a modeling job, okay?”_

 _“A modeling job?”_ Gou’s voice had become alert, perked with interest. “ _Which company?”_

_“…The GRC.”_

And if Rin hadn’t moved the phone six inches away from his ear beforehand, he was sure that he would’ve been deaf in his right ear by now. First had come a long, fucking _ear-piercing_ shriek, then the incoherent “oh my gods” and “I can’t BELIEVE you didn’t say anything” and a lot more that Rin didn’t quite catch.

When Gou had _finally_ calmed down enough to speak comprehensibly, she sounded like she was _crying,_ much to Rin’s exasperation and (maybe a little) concern.

_“I…I’m so proud, Rin.”_

_“Don’t CRY, Gou!”_

He heard her sniff, and then give a little chuckle. _“S-Sorry… When is it?”_

 _“On Wednesday. Though I’m going for an interview tomorrow, because they wanna get to_ know _me and all that...”_

Suddenly, he heard Gou yell out a “crap!” Then Rin heard what sounded like her running, and then the rustling of fabric.

_“Gou? You alright?”_

_“I’m so sorry, Rin, but can we talk later? I_ completely _forgot about the shoot today, crap… Hey, let’s meet up for dinner!”_

Then, after giving Rin the directions to a restaurant specializing in steak ( _“Best in Tokyo!”_ she’d said), Gou had left, yet _again_ leaving Rin with his napping boyfriend and _nothing_ to do.

And then, after who-knows-HOW-much-time-had-passed of staring at Haru’s delicate, peaceful sleeping form and following those deep, rhythmic breaths, Rin had done something that he honestly wished he _hadn’t._ Not really knowing what he’d been doing, he’d gone over to Haru’s suitcase and zipped it open, picking up the sketchbook at the top of the pile of art supplies. It was a considerably small, but thick rectangular sketchbook, held together by metal spirals and two deep maroon covers. Rin flipped it open to the first page-

-and he…he felt like the air had been _knocked_ out of his lungs. Hands shaking ever so slightly, he’d flipped to the next page, then the next, then the next, until he’d reached the very last page.

_W-Wow…_

Every _single_ page had been covered with, well… _himself_ , in Haru’s beautiful, _beautiful_ art style. And Rin _knew_ that Haru liked drawing him, and that Haru asked Rin to model for him whenever they were both free, but _this_? This was… _a lot_ more than he’d imagined. And Rin could guarantee that he’d never modeled seventy-five percent of the poses in this sketchbook.

Some of them had been full-body, completed and _very_ detailed drawings, and others had simply been messy, unfinished sketches, but all of _Rin_. Some were headshots, showing only Rin’s face and shoulders, and Rin could see that Haru had been focusing on the expressions. Some of them were him grinning widely, eyes closed and teeth showing, and others had just been Rin’s… _normal_ expression, he guessed. There were even a few of him scowling, or frowning.

It was just… _Haru’s art style._ It swayed on the very edge of realism, but there was just _something_ about it, this…this signature Haru _thing_ he did to each and every drawing. Maybe it was those soft, graceful curves and edges, or that _focus_ on tiny, unnoticeable details. Or maybe it was just those _lifelike_ expressions, the life and light in the eyes so _real_ that Rin had to look twice and make sure he wasn’t looking at an actual photograph.

And then, out of nowhere, Rin had felt a twinge of annoyance.

 _He has SO much talent. Mountains and_ mountains _of talent, and no plans on using it whatsoever?! With art skills like that, you could go into SO_ _many different work fields. You- you could do almost anything!_

Rin glanced over at his sleeping boyfriend, jaw set in the _tiniest_ of scowls.

_Why would you waste your talents like that, Haru?_

And that’s when Rin had felt it. The guilt.

He realized that he _had_ asked Haru that question before, and Haru had snapped at him, and in a way that made Rin guess that he was _exasperated_ by people asking that. People must’ve troubled Haru a lot about his art, and honestly, why wouldn’t they? It must’ve been stressful for Haru…

Rin looked over at Haru again, expression growing softer.

It left him feeling restless, Haru’s idea to seemingly do _nothing_ , but the last thing Rin wanted to do was stress Haru out. He’d figure something out eventually, Rin was sure…

And a _second_ wave of guilt washed over Rin when he looked down at the sketchbook in his lap, open to a page showing a messy sketch of his back-view. Haru was always reluctant to show Rin (or _anyone_ , really) his drawings, and whenever Rin would try to catch a glimpse, Haru would cover the page with his forearms, looking annoyed and embarrassed.

Basically, he had _no_ right to be going through Haru’s stuff like this.

Hurriedly putting the sketchbook back and zipping the suitcase closed, Rin got up, dusting himself off and _trying_ to get rid of the feeling of sinking lead in his gut.

_Maybe I should tell Haru when he wakes up…?_

Rin was _really_ reluctant to do that, though. Haru would be annoyed, at the very least. He’d probably get mad, and stop talking to Rin for a while. It had happened a couple of times before, and Rin _hated_ it when Haru got all sulky and silent like that.

And all _that_ had led to what Rin was currently doing. After a few more minutes of bored, restless pacing, he’d sighed and decided that it was probably a better idea to get some more rest if they were meeting Gou for dinner. So once again, he’d stripped into his boxers and lain down beside Haru, who was still peacefully sleeping away.

But, much to Rin’s irritation, he hadn’t slept _at all._ He was still up half-an-hour later, staring at the ceiling and _thinking_. Mostly about the interview tomorrow, but his mind kept _wandering_ from one topic to another. One minute he was thinking of what he was going to wear tomorrow, and then he’d start wondering what his clothes for the shoot would look like, and thenhis mind would jump to a _completely_ different topic, like Haru’s art (he was trying _not_ to think about that too much). Or Makoto’s research paper.

Rin had been pretty surprised, actually, when Makoto had told him that _that_ was the reason he was coming to Tokyo. He’d had no idea that Makoto was studying to become a pediatrician, but the idea made Rin smile. It was such a _fitting_ job for Makoto, really. Kids loved the guy (heck, _everybody_ loved the guy), and Makoto was so…so _caring_. So a kids’ doctor? That was… _perfect._

_It must be hard, though. All the studying._

A small smile spread over Rin’s face. You really had to respect the guy, working so hard for something like that. Rin hoped that it would all be worth it, and that it would work out for Makoto…

“R-Rin?”

Rin’s head jerked to the left, where Haru was _finally_ sitting up, rubbing his eyes and looking around the room with this _dazed_ expression.

“What…what time is it?”

Rin chuckled, sitting up. Haru sounded so lost, and he looked _adorable_ , with that silky, midnight-black hair sticking out all over the place, and his t-shirt slipping off his shoulder.

“’Morning, _sleeping beauty_ ,” Rin said, leaning over to kiss Haru’s cheek. “It’s…four, I think?”

“Not funny, Rin,” Haru muttered, but let Rin kiss him anyway.

Rin gave another chuckle. “Sorry, sorry. Feeling any better now?”

Haru stretched his arms a little, moving closer to Rin. “Yeah.”

They were silent for a few moments after that, Rin’s arm going around Haru’s waist as they leaned on the headboard of the bed. Haru’s head automatically came to rest on Rin’s shoulder, and Rin’s cheek on top of Haru’s silky, mussed hair.

“How long was I asleep for, Rin?” Haru asked, leaning further into Rin.

Rin snorted. “ _Four_ hours, Haru. You were, like, passed-out _dead_.”

“ _Hey_.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Haru sighed, moving _even_ closer so that he was nearly sitting in Rin’s lap. It felt so nice, and _warm…_

“What were you doing?”

Rin froze. “H-Huh?”

Haru snorted. “When I was _sleeping_ , Rin.”

“Oh, uh…” Rin’s sweating hands curled themselves into fists. “Stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?” Haru asked, and so _unknowingly_ too. Like he had _no_ idea that Rin had been going through his sketchbooks, invading his personal space.

Which Haru _didn’t_ have any idea of, because he’d been asleep, of course.

“W-Well, I talked to Gou…” Rin started, the sinking feeling returning to his stomach.

_Maybe I should just tell him...?_

“Gou…your sister?” Haru said. “You mentioned that she lived in Tokyo.”

“Yeah, she’s a model. Works for a company here,” Rin hastily replied.

He felt Haru nod. “What did she say?”

  
“Huh? Oh, she invited us for dinner…”

Haru sat up and turned to face Rin, much to Rin’s disdain. He looked confused, and he was frowning, too.

“Are you okay, Rin? You’re acting weird.”

Rin sighed, deciding to give in. Haru would get mad, sure, but…what was the worst that could happen?

“You see,” Rin started, averting his gaze and running a hand through his hair, “when you were asleep, Haru, I, um…”

“You?”

“I might’ve gone through one of your sketchbooks…” Rin muttered, still looking away.

When Haru didn’t say anything, Rin looked up, only for his gaze to be met with Haru’s shocked and… _taken aback_ stare.

“Which one?”

“Maroon cover,” Rin muttered, fiddling with the edge of the blanket.

Haru’s eyes got even wider, and then he turned away, cheeks tinged pink and arms crossed over his chest. Rin would’ve normally found that _cute_ , and leaned in to kiss Haru, but he knew better not to this time. Haru’s face remained as it was, but his eyes looked, well… _angry_. Angry and irritated.

And it was Rin’s fault.

“Hey, Haru…?” Rin quietly started, inching closer. “Don’t get mad.”

Haru glanced at Rin, but then turned away just as quickly, not saying anything.

“I’m _sorry_ , Haru.”

Rin was trying his best to keep his voice leveled, but it _really_ wasn’t working. He sounded ( _and_ felt) like he was choking, and his eyes were starting to sting.

_Don’t fucking start CRYING now!_

Which, of course, just increased the prickling _wetness_ in Rin’s eyes.

“C’mon, Haru…”

Oh god, now he _really_ sounded like he was being strangled…

Haru looked over at Rin once again, his expression changing from irritation to surprise. Then he sighed, edging toward Rin and putting his arms around him.

“Don’t cry, Rin,” he muttered, warm breath tickling Rin’s ear.

“I’m _not_ ,” Rin replied, furiously rubbing at his eyes with his arm.

Haru snorted, climbing onto Rin’s lap. “Yes you are.”

Rin gave a shaky sigh, carefully putting his arms around Haru.

After a few deep breaths, when Rin _finally_ felt like he had his tears under control, he rested his chin on Haru’s shoulder and said:

“I’m sorry, Haru. Really.”

Haru simply sighed, running his hand up and down Rin’s back. “It’s okay, Rin. But…why did you do that?”

Rin gave a weak chuckle. “I was bored…”

Haru gave another sigh, and Rin could _swear_ that he was rolling his eyes.

“So…am I forgiven?” Rin asked, burying his face into the crook of Haru’s neck. His skin was so damn _soft_ …

Haru moved his head up and pressed him lips against Rin’s, his fingers playing at Rin’s nape before running them through his hair. And after a second of momentary surprise, Rin was doing the same, pushing his tongue inside Haru’s mouth and running it over Haru’s own tongue, and the inside of his cheeks.

When they pulled apart to catch their breaths, Haru was smirking. Rin raised an eyebrow, a grin passing over his face.

“I’m guessing that’s a yes?”

Haru’s smirk grew a little wider. “Yeah, maybe,” he replied, then pressed his lips against Rin’s once again, running his hands up and down Rin’s bare chest before pushing him down onto the bed.

Rin smiled against Haru’s mouth, fingers moving to pull off Haru’s shirt.

“That’s good, then.”

 

 

~~~~~~

 

If you want an idea of what Rin and Haru's hotel room looks like: [here](http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-o/06/6f/66/8b/bay-view-room.jpg). (From the Conrad Hotel in Tokyo ;D)

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO, you lovely peeps! Omg, I haven't updated for...a month, I think? I AM SO, SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU ALL WAIT LIKE THIS. This last semester is just...awful :'D SO, to improve my grades, I have to give up A LOT of writing time... :\\\ I WILL TRY TO WRITE FASTER, THOUGH. And I want to thank every single person who's left kudos or comments or anything on this fic! ^^ You guys are the absolute best, thank you! ;D

“Rin.”

Rin glanced up at Haru, who had just walked out of the bathroom in one of the hotel’s plush, oversized white bathrobes and a towel twisted over his black hair. His eyes were positively _sparkling_.

Rin chuckled at the sight. Haru looked fucking _cute_. “Had a good bath?”

Haru walked over to where Rin was sitting on the bed, and _clasped_ his hands onto Rin’s thighs, looking him straight in the eye. He looked _excited_ , his deep blue eyes shimmering like the ocean on a summer night.

“Rin, the bathtubs here are _amazing_.”

Rin gave a fond sigh, moving his hands to the towel on Haru’s head and giving it a vigorous rub. “I should’ve known.”

“ _Hey_ , Rin!” Haru yelped, swatting Rin’s hands away. “That _hurt_.”

Rin chuckled, leaning up to kiss Haru’s forehead. “Sorry, sorry.”

“And I can dry my _own_ hair,” Haru muttered, moving his hands up to rub the towel on his head.

Rin smirked, taking Haru’s arms and pulling him onto his lap.

“You’re so _cute_ , Haru…” he mused, fingers playing at Haru’s naked back under the bathrobe.

Haru snorted, moving himself off Rin’s lap and sitting beside him instead. “We just _had_ sex, Rin. And we don’t have time, anyway. We have to go meet your sister for dinner.”

Rin sighed, moving his fingers away from Haru’s back and rubbing his own neck instead. “I know, I know. I’m already ready, see?” he said, gesturing to his outfit, which was made up of tight, dark blue jeans, a gray tank top, and his black, three-quarter sleeved blazer, of course. Rin wasn’t really sure why he liked blazers so much, but he just _did._

Oh, and _that’s_ when Rin happened to notice that Haru was eyeing at him, his eyes trailing over Rin’s chest in the fitting tank top, and the even _more_ fitting blazer, and then trailing down to Rin’s hips and legs, clothed in the skinny jeans that he _knew_ Haru found sexy (even though he refused to admit it out loud).

A second smirk crossed over Rin’s face.

“Like what you see, Haru?” he drawled, momentarily getting off the bed and striking a pose, hands on his hips and making a point of _totally_ pointing his ass at Haru. “Reconsidering that quickie?”

Haru’s blue eyes widened for a second, before turning his pink-tinged face away and mumbling an embarrassed “shut up, Rin”.

Rin chuckled, flopping back down on the bed. “But you still need to change, Haru.”

“Yeah…” Haru said, and there was this _undertone_ in his voice that made Rin look at him. He was _smirking_. “Yeah, I do.”

“Haru…?” Rin asked, puzzled, as Haru got up and-

-and _fucking pulled_ open the robe and dropped it to the ground, like- like a scene from some steamy movie or some shit. And he was _still_ smirking, the little tease.

He turned around, making an even _bigger_ point to expose his naked ass to Rin, and then started _bending over,_ godammit, and zipping open his suitcase.

“Hmm…what should I wear…?” Haru mused, the _tease_ in his voice so obvious, and Rin was alreadyfeeling the arousal, even though they’d had sex less than an _hour_ ago.

“What?” Haru asked, turning his face to meet Rin’s. He was still bent over, and hestillhad that _teasing_ ( _fucking_ SEXY) smirk on, and Rin was just getting harder. “Like what you see, Rin?”

Rin got up and walked towards Haru, placing both hands on either side of his waist, and sliding them down until they were groping Haru’s firm, well-muscled ass.

“Yeah, maybe…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“It’s about time, you two!” Makoto huffed as soon as Rin and Haru entered the lobby. He and Yamazaki (who looked bored as ever, and was reading some kind of brochure) were already there, seated comfortably (and rather closely, Haru noticed) on one of the couches. “What took you guys so long?!”

Rin let out a nervous laugh, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, we were…uh…”

“I don’t think we want to know, Makoto,” Yamazaki snorted, getting up. “Now, if you guys are done _banging_ , can we leave? Gou just called to ask where we were.”

“S-Sousuke!” Rin sputtered, face red. He jabbed Yamazaki’s leg with his knee. “Don’t say stuff like that here!”

Makoto seemed to find the whole situation quite amusing, despite usually being embarrassed when Haru and Rin’s sex life came up. Haru, _unlike_ his boyfriend, wasn’t really concerned with the crowded lobby and grabbed Rin’s hand.

“Let’s _go,_ Rin,” he said, pulling Rin toward the hotel’s grand-looking exit.

After a second of momentary surprise, Rin smiled and adjusted his hand into Haru’s, lacing their fingers together. “Yeah.”

Yamazaki and Makoto were a few steps behind them, with Yamazaki no doubt making comments about how they acted like newlyweds and what not. It was a good thing that, one, Haru didn’t really _care_ about Yamazaki’s comments, and two, the _last_ thing Haru would do would be to pay attention to Yamazaki after they exited the hotel and Tokyo came into view.

Haru had seen Tokyo only this morning, for sure, but he’d been at the point of passing out and hadn’t really paid attention to anything. It really _was_ huge. People of all ages were everywhere, on the sidewalks and crossing the streets, some who seemed to be coming home from work or school, some who seemed to be window shopping, some who were just… _there_ , laughing in groups. There were stores and stalls _everywhere_ , ranging from high-end foreign brands to antique thrift stores. And the _lights_. The streetlights, the lights coming from the stores, from the buildings, from the cars, from the advertisements playing on the huge screens…

Haru couldn’t help himself from glancing up at the night sky. It was barely visible above all these sky-scraper-like buildings.

_There aren’t any stars._

And this wave of…of _anxiety_ suddenly hit Haru. Much to his own confusion, he started feeling slightly claustrophobic and nauseas. Everything was too bright, and there were _too many people…_

“Haru?”

Haru turned around, maybe a little too fast, only to face a slightly concerned-looking Rin. Haru had been so overwhelmed for a minute, he’d almost forgotten that Rin was still there.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Haru muttered. He moved a little closer to Rin, closing the distance between them.

“Are you sure…?” Rin asked, eyebrow raised skeptically.

Haru nodded, trying his best _not_ tofocus on the crowded street, or on the voices of people chattering around him. Instead, he tried to focus on Rin. On the way Rin’s slender, strong fingers were entwined with his, on how _warm_ they felt, on Rin’s rhythmic breathing, on the way he looked so excited, so _enthusiastic_ …

“You know, being here kinda reminds me of the first time I visited a big city.”

Haru’s eyes trailed back up to Rin’s face. He was dreamily looking into the distance, at the crowds of people under the city lights, and the excited energy in his eyes seemed to have been replaced by something else. Something… _softer_.

“The first time you visited Tokyo?” Haru asked, now genuinely curious.

Rin shook his head, that soft, warm smile still on his face. “Nah, it was actually Sydney.”

Haru racked his brains. He wasn’t really _great_ at geography, but-

“Sydney…Australia?”

Rin nodded. “Yeah, I studied there for a few years.”

Well, at least Haru knew why Rin was so fluent in English now. Though it was still pretty _surprising,_ to say the least. Sydney seemed so far away…

Rin let out a soft chuckle, eyes moving downwards to the pavement beneath their feet. “That was actually one of the scariest things I’ve done in my life, going to Sydney alone.”

For a second, Haru was surprised. _Rin scared of a big city and being surrounded by people?_

“It was pretty hard at first, barely being able to communicate with anyone. And English was a _pain_ to learn. But when I got used to it, I realized…big cities are great. There’s so much _life_ in them, if you get what I mean.”

Rin’s gaze had wandered up somewhere during his little speech, and he was now looking off into Tokyo’s night life, smiling at all the people and lights and tall, tall buildings…

And before Haru was even aware of it, he was lifting his eyes and matching his gaze to Rin’s, looking off into the city that he’d been avoiding a mere five minutes ago.

 _...How funny._ The city didn’t seem to be… _glaring_ at him anymore.

Haru gave Rin’s hand a quick, tight squeeze, a small smile spreading over his face.

“…Yeah.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“ _BIG BROTHER~_!”

Before Rin could even comprehend what was going on, a small, redheaded blur was crashing into him, wrapping its arms around Rin in a vice-like hug.

“G-Gou,” Rin choked, struggling to breathe. “Calm _down_.”

Gou’s embrace softened a little, and she let out a laugh. “What _else_ could you expect when I haven’t seen you in almost a year?” She rested her head on Rin’s shoulder, her voice becoming softer. “I missed you, Rin.”

Rin couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed at that. It _was_ true that he hadn’t seen Gou in quite a while, and he kind of sucked at keeping in contact, calling her only twice or thrice every month.

Rin wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a quick hug back, murmuring a “missed you too”.

“You know, this strangely reminds me of that time-“

Poor Sousuke didn’t even get to finish his sentence as Gou was running to him next ( _“Sousuke-kun~!”)_ and wrapping her arms around him. Sousuke, looking somewhere between embarrassed and fond, gave her a quick hug in return.

“Even _Sousuke-kun_ called me more than you did, Rin!” Gou was crossing her arms over her chest now, a tiny pout on her face.

Rin sighed, going over to her and ruffling that wine-red hair. _Kept in the same high-ponytail as always_ , Rin noted with a smile. “Sorry, Gou. I’ve been…busy and stuff.”

Gou looked up at him, lips still pursed in that pout. “Busy with _what?”_

And _that_ was when Gou noticed Haru and Makoto, who were standing somewhat awkwardly a few paces behind Rin and Sousuke, watching their little “family reunion” and looking somewhere in between amused and uncomfortable.

Gou let out a little gasp, running over to them. “I’m _so_ sorry, I didn’t see you two there for a second…”

Makoto chuckled. “It’s quite alright, Matsuoka-san.”

“Oh no, please call me Gou!” Gou said, embarrassedly giving Makoto a small bow.

“No problem,” Makoto replied, still smiling as he bowed his head in return. “And you can call me Makoto.”

Gou’s eyes darted to Haru next. Rin saw him open his mouth, probably to introduce himself, before he was interrupted by Gou’s excited squeal.

“You’re Haruka Nanase!”

Rin probably would’ve found this situation embarrassing on any other terms. But he was too busy being amused by the _look_ on Haru’s face, the raised eyebrow, the cute look of _bewilderment_ and confusion.

“Oh- oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Gou seemed to realize how awkward she’d just been. Her face was bright red and the words were hurriedly tumbling out of her mouth. “That made me sound like a stalker, sorry. It’s just that Rin talks about you _all_ the time-“

“Does he?” Haru said, looking up at Rin with an amused look in his eyes. Rin could feel his face heating up. “What does he say?”

Gou chuckled. “Oh, all _sorts_ of things! Whenever I’m on the phone with him, which is _rare now_ ,” she aimed a pointed look towards Rin, “it’s always “Haru this” and Haru that”. I swear, he’ll never shut up about those “gorgeous, gorgeous blue eyes” or how cute you are or how talented of an artist you-“

 “ _Gou_ ,” Rin hissed, his hand now clamped over his little sister’s mouth. He _could not_ believe that she’d just babbled all that to Haru. Rin darted his eyes to him for a second, and he was _smirking_ , dammit. Rin could feel his face burning up, and he quickly looked away. Makoto and Sousuke seemed to find the whole scenario hilarious.

“Why don’t we just…find a table?” Rin sighed, letting go of Gou, who now had lip gloss smeared on her chin and looked pissed as hell about it.

“ _Fine_.” She stomped away from Rin, catching up with Makoto and Sousuke instead.

“You could just say all that to _me_ , you know,” Haru said as he caught up to Rin, sounding as teasing as ever.

“Shut up,” Rin muttered, turning away as his face became even redder. But even so, he let Haru entwine their fingers without complain.

 

A few minutes later, they were all seated at a booth towards the back of the restaurant, with Gou, Haru, and Rin on one side and Sousuke and Makoto on the other. Rin couldn’t help but laugh when Makoto had tried to be polite and let Gou sit with the two of them, but she’d been absolutely _crushed_ between the two buff guys. Not that Gou seemed to have minded, of course. It was like, her natural habitat, being surrounded by all those muscles.

Also, Rin noticed they’d been double-glanced at _way_ more than once after they’d entered the restaurant. At first, he’d thought that maybe it was because he and Haru were holding hands, since that kind of stuff was not really common in Japan. Which, _of course_ , just made him hold Haru’s hand even tighter. Screw anyone who thought it was wrong.

But _then,_ after a waitress had come over to give them their menus, Rin realized how very wrong he was. The waitress had taken one glance at Gou, and then she just… _stood_ there, gaping. A few seconds later, when she came to her senses, she had this little “fangirl-moment”, as Rin would call it.

“You’re Gou Matsuoka! Oh- oh my god! I-I’m such a huge fan…”

And _that’s_ when it hit Rin that his little sister was actually pretty famous over here. He felt a little envious, of course, that his _younger_ sister was a more successful model than he was, but he mostly felt pride. _His_ little sister, after all.

And as for Gou, _she’d_ handled the whole thing almost like a celebrity, like it happened every day (which it most likely _could_ have, Rin knew). She gave her almost-modest smile and a “thank you, it’s always nice to meet a fan!” Rin could tell that even _Sousuke_ was impressed.

Gou let out a somewhat tired laugh after the waitress left. “Didn’t think that would happen here, of all places…”

“I didn’t know we were sitting with a _celebrity_ ,” Rin teased, lightly poking Gou’s side.

Gou rolled her eyes. “ _Please_ , Rin. Far from it.”

“You’re being too modest,” Sousuke said. “I _knew_ that everyone was staring at us when we came in, but I thought it was because of the newlyweds over here-“

“ _Sousuke_.” Rin grinned in satisfaction when Sousuke winced from the kick Rin had given him under the table.

“But you must be at least a _little_ well-known for you to handle a situation like that,” Makoto exclaimed, still looking slightly awed. Gou gave a small laugh.

“Well, a _little_ bit well-known, then. Though the company only started getting more recognition pretty recently…”

“Which company do you work for?” Makoto asked. Rin had a feeling that Makoto was asking out of genuine curiosity now, and not for the sake of holding the conversation or being polite or whatever.

Gou smiled. “It’s called the Amiho. Back when the company was still new, when I was in high-school, it was pretty broke, so the owner used to work part-time as a teacher at my high-school. We were pretty close, and she saw what she called “model potential” in me, and blah blah blah, a few years later, here I am!”

She gestured to herself in a “ _ta da!”_ sort of way. Makoto looked impressed, almost like he wanted to stand up and start applauding.

“…There’s no mackerel on the menu.”

Rin had the urge to laugh. Leave it to _his_ boyfriend to totally ruin the moment. At least they were all reminded that they had to choose something to order.

After a few minutes of flipping through the menus, they’d all decided and were ready for their orders to be taken, _if it weren’t for Haru._ He was flipping the pages from cover to cover, frowning and looking almost _distressed_.

“Come on, _Haru_ ,” Makoto whined. “Just choose something!”

Haru snapped his menu shut and slammed it onto the table, looking decided.

“I’m not hungry anymore.”

“For fuck’s _sake_ , Haru,” Rin muttered, snatching Haru’s menu and going over to the seafood section. “I’m getting you salmon steak. No protesting.”

“But-“

Rin silenced his boyfriend with quick kiss on the lips. “ _No.”_

“Fine,” Haru grumbled, cheeks slightly pink as he turned away. Rin gave an amused chuckle, turning to the waitress as she walked up to their table.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 “Good luck with the interview tomorrow, Rin!”

“Thanks,” Rin grinned. It was a little past nine when they left the restaurant, but Tokyo was as awake as ever.

 _The city that never sleeps_ , Rin mused in his head.

“How long are you going to be in Tokyo?” Gou asked, and Rin couldn’t help notice that she sounded… _sad_. Almost worried.

“For a week. And don’t _worry,_ ” Rin smiled, fondly rubbing a hand over Gou’s red hair. “I’ll come to see you again, I promise.”

“You _better_ ,” Gou said, reaching up and lightly smacking Rin’s arm. “And you’d better start calling me more often too!”

“I will, I will,” Rin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

A few more goodbyes later, Gou was on her way to the subway station (and she had insisted that _no,_ she _didn’t_ need them to walk her there, despite Rin’s complaining) and they were on their way to the hotel.

Rin stifled a yawn. The hotel wasn’t more than fifteen-minutes away, but he was already dragging his feet, the effects of not sleeping after coming back from the airport finally hitting him at full-strength.

 _Oh well, so much for the “fantasy hotel sex after dinner” idea…_ Rin mused, glancing over at Haru, who had his arms crossed over his chest and was rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

“Cold?” Rin asked, amused. Well, maybe it there _was_ a slight chill in the air, despite it being May.

“Maybe,” Haru muttered, looking away.

Rin chuckled and slipped his blazer off, draping it over Haru’s shoulders. “Here.”

“Romantic as ever,” Haru smirked, putting it on properly.

“Be _thankful_ , Haru,” Rin sighed.

“Just like the way you talk to Gou on the phone,” Haru mused, ignoring Rin. Rin felt his face heat up again. Sounded like he would never hear the end of this one.

“So you think I have ‘gorgeous, gorgeous blue eyes’?” Haru asked, the teasing tone in voice blatantly obvious.

“ _Haru_.”

“And you think I’m ‘cute’?”

Rin sighed. _Well, there’s only one way I’m gonna shut him up._

He gently traced his finger up Haru’s neck, lifting his chin and cupping it before leaning down to kiss him, sliding his tongue into Haru’s already slightly-parted lips.

They pulled apart a few seconds later, and Rin grinned in satisfaction when he saw Haru’s color-dusted cheeks.

“Well, you _are_ cute.” Rin continued grinning, planting a kiss on Haru’s cheek.

“The hotel is _literally_ five minutes away,” Sousuke snorted, a few paces ahead. “Be patient, you two.”

“Shut up, Sousuke,” Rin grumbled, slinging an arm around Haru’s shoulders and quickening his pace.

 

When they were finally in their hotel room, they _did_ proceed with their little make-out session on the bed, but Rin was too tired to do anything more than pull Haru’s shirt off and press a few wet kisses onto his neck and collarbone.

Haru looked rather disappointed when he got up, stretching and making his way towards the bathroom. He gave Haru an apologetic smile.

“Later, okay?”

“Fine,” Haru said, flopping onto the bed with a sigh.

When Rin came out of the bathroom, teeth brushed and wearing only his boxers, Haru was sitting cross-legged on the cherry-blossom printed carpet, eyebrows furrowed together as he furiously scribbled away. Well, _scribbled_ wasn’t really the right word. Haru’s hands always moved so swiftly and elegantly when he was holding a pencil, when he was drawing, when he was painting…

“Aren’t you gonna sleep?” Rin asked, plopping down behind him on the carpet and snugly wrapping his arms around his waist, burying his face into the soft crook of Haru’s neck. For once, he didn’t give the sketchbook a single glance.

“Not tired,” Haru said, continuing to sketch.

“Well,” Rin yawned, getting up, “don’t sleep _too_ late. We’re leaving at ten tomorrow.”

Haru snorted. “You sound like Makoto.”

“Good _night_ , Haru.” Rin leaned down and pecked Haru’s cheek before going over to the bed and nearly _collapsing_ on top of it.

Despite the nervous knots that were forming in his stomach as thoughts of going to GRC in the morning covered his mind. It was, like…a fantasy. A fantasy on the verge of becoming very _real_ tomorrow.

His eyes sleepily drifted towards Haru, who was still hunched over the sketchbook and drawing away, occasionally glancing at the window. Rin smiled.

_Maybe he’s drawing the skyline…?_

Well, maybe. Looking at Haru drawing was strangely calming. The way the pencil, held in Haru’s pale, slender hand, smoothly glided over the paper, Haru’s leveled breathing, the way he would occasionally pause to look at the window, or to erase, or just to massage his hand, the way his silky black hair fell into his eyes…

Before Rin knew it, he’d fallen asleep, a soft smile still lingering on his lips.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahaha, what a messy chapter... I SWEAR WE'LL GET BACK TO THE ACTUAL PLOT IN THE NEXT. Though can't really guarantee any fast updates just yet... :\\\ (SCREW THIS LAST SEMESTER. JUST...END ALREADY.)

**Author's Note:**

> So...how was it?? Feedback is really appreciated! Thanks for reading! ;D


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